I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology at King's University College at Western University and Senior Research Affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS). My areas of interest include critical security studies, policing, terrorism and radicalization, sport, and law. Broadly speaking, my research focuses on how we make sense of a variety of social issues and the interventions we craft to alleviate associated harm. More specifically, I have written on Canadian and international counter-radicalization programs, the diffusion of transnational counter-terrorism policing, practices of 'scouting' high school football athletes, and constructions of national identity in response to tragedy.
I am currently writing a book on the emergence of radicalization as a dominant framework through which we understand terrorism and counter-terrorism. In it, I tease out some of the problematic features inherent in many contemporary counter-radicalization interventions. My work has appeared in a number of peer-reviewed, academic journals, including Sociological Forum, Race & Class, and the Sociology of Sport Journal. I have also published in several edited volumes, including the Handbook of Social Control (Wiley), The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems (Cambridge), and The Development of Transnational Policing: Past, Present, and Future (Routledge). I am the co-editor of Emerald's Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance annual volume (with Dr. Mathieu Deflem). I also co-host a podcast called "What's That Noise?" with my good friend and colleague Dr. Tommy Cooke (Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen's University) - you can find it on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify, or simply click the link below for a sneak peak. I teach a number of courses in sociology and criminology, including introductory sociology and criminology, quantitative and qualitative research methods, sociology of sport, sociology of catastrophe, and terrorism and radicalization.
I am currently writing a book on the emergence of radicalization as a dominant framework through which we understand terrorism and counter-terrorism. In it, I tease out some of the problematic features inherent in many contemporary counter-radicalization interventions. My work has appeared in a number of peer-reviewed, academic journals, including Sociological Forum, Race & Class, and the Sociology of Sport Journal. I have also published in several edited volumes, including the Handbook of Social Control (Wiley), The Cambridge Handbook of Social Problems (Cambridge), and The Development of Transnational Policing: Past, Present, and Future (Routledge). I am the co-editor of Emerald's Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance annual volume (with Dr. Mathieu Deflem). I also co-host a podcast called "What's That Noise?" with my good friend and colleague Dr. Tommy Cooke (Surveillance Studies Centre at Queen's University) - you can find it on iTunes, Google Play Music, and Spotify, or simply click the link below for a sneak peak. I teach a number of courses in sociology and criminology, including introductory sociology and criminology, quantitative and qualitative research methods, sociology of sport, sociology of catastrophe, and terrorism and radicalization.
Recent Publications
Sociology of Sport Journal / 2018
In Search of a Five Star: The Centrality of Body Discourses in the Scouting of High School Football Athletes
In Search of a Five Star: The Centrality of Body Discourses in the Scouting of High School Football Athletes
Race & Class / 2018
"Radicalisation: The Journey of a Concept," revisited
"Radicalisation: The Journey of a Concept," revisited
Sociological Forum / 2017
The Othering of Muslims: Discourses of Radicalization in the New York Times, 1969-2014
The Othering of Muslims: Discourses of Radicalization in the New York Times, 1969-2014